Johnny English Reborn South Africa Release Review

REVIEW: JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN (2011)

by Ailsa Windsor

Starring: Rowan Atkinson, Gillian Anderson,  Rosamund Pike, Dominic West, Ben Miller,  Richard Schiff, Daniel Kaluuya This time around, not only does Johnny have a  ‘conscience’, but is a much more rounded character.  Yes, there is the slapstick for which Rowan Atkinson  is so well known, however, it slots so well into the plot. For those who do not know how the lead character  came to be: Between 1992 and 1997, Rowan was featured in a series of popular British credit card commercials in which he played an accident-prone spy.  It was at that time he had the idea to create a feature  film based on the character from the advertisement...  thus the birth of Johnny English. Now Johnny returns to the screens for the second  time and he’s just as hapless as the last, but as mentioned  above he takes responsibility for having ‘mucked up’  and has acquired skills of ‘mastering his mind’. Atkinson  adds: “I have always enjoyed playing him  [Johnny English], with his smugness and capacity to  overreach and to overestimate his skills. There is something  inherently amusing about him. I feel very comfortable  with all the characters I play, whether it’s Mr Bean or a  character like Johnny English. I slip back into them with  great ease.” In his latest adventure, Johnny is re-instated as a member  of MI-17 tasked with preventing the assassination of the  Chinese premier. As he uncovers a dastardly plot involving  the CIA, KGB and MI-17 he discovers that the last incident  which resulted in his dismissal wasn’t really his fault at all. There’s plenty for everyone from those who enjoy the  adventure, girls and gadgets akin to James Bond to the  bumbling, hilarious antics associated with Rowan Atkinson. All-in-all a great trip to the cinema!